Subway ad campaign tries to lure Toronto, Montreal commuters with a taste of N.B.
CBC
You don't expect to see Hopewell Rocks inside the Bloor-Yonge subway station in Toronto, but that's exactly what Tourism New Brunswick's new marketing campaign has made possible.
A new tourism campaign, called Get a Sense of New Brunswick, includes posters at subway stations in Toronto and Montreal, and a video featuring provincial hotspots such as the Bay of Fundy — all in an effort to attract more tourists from Ontario and Quebec.
Melanie Deveau, assistant deputy minister of parks and tourism, said the posters focus on getting daily commuters to stop their "monotonous routines" and "step back and take a breath and say, 'Wow, I could be there if I went to New Brunswick.'"
Deveau said the campaign is the result of a lot of research.
"Ontario and Quebec have always been important markets to New Brunswick," she said, noting that about 120,000 visitors already come to the province from Toronto annually.
People in Ontario and Quebec "want our Acadian culture," she said. "They want to come to the warmest saltwater beaches in Canada. They want the Bay of Fundy, that East Coast vibe."
Five years ago, Andrew Ennals, a freelance advertising copywriter, moved back home to Sackville from Toronto, where he lived for 30 years.
Ennals said the new campaign looks great and it's nice to see New Brunswick specifically targeting tourists in Toronto and Montreal. People who live in those cities tend to think of Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island as the Atlantic tourist destinations, he said.
Ennals did say, however, the placement of ads within the station is key. Putting ads on staircases or hallways is not as effective.
"The problem with putting stuff in that kind of scenario is that there's just a lot of people trying to get from one place to another. It's a big rush."
He said the more effective locations are within the subway itself.
"Or in the bus shelters. So places where you're standing around and you're waiting longer within the station."
Another problem, Ennals said, is that New Brunswick has not focused on building a reputation as a tourist destination in the same way that Nova Scotia and P.E.I. have. It has an opportunity, though, to define itself as being different from those provinces but just as great a tourist destination, he said.
"I think there's a quirkiness to New Brunswick that we could sort of push to the fore."
More Albertans are waiting longer than clinically recommended for critical cardiac and cancer surgeries, sparking concern among health experts and calls for urgent action.
There have been four collisions involving transport trucks in northwestern Ontario in three days, prompting renewed calls for action to address ongoing safety concerns along Highway 11-17.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives will huddle behind closed doors at a policy convention this weekend as some Tories question the party’s direction after nearly eight years in power.
The father of a three-year-old girl that was killed after being struck by a vehicle in Cambridge in mid-December says recent charges laid to the driver bring little comfort and relief.
The start of kindergarten can be a time of excitement or anxiety for parents, guardians and children — and also for Prince Edward Island's education officials as they try to staff schools appropriately.
Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation (NNC)’s proposed hydro project is facing some backlash in Pangnirtung.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will take to the stage Friday for what could be one of the most important speeches of his political career as he tries to convince delegates at the party's Calgary convention to keep him in the job.
As his flight departed from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport en route to Kuwait via Istanbul, Canadian crypto fugitive Andean Medjedovic was unaware that his globe-trotting lifestyle would soon be halted.
One of the largest taxi companies in Toronto will be down to three wheelchair-accessible cabs by the end of March, as advocates and providers say the city is failing to support accessible taxi drivers.
As a deep freeze continues to envelop southwestern Ontario at the same time municipalities deal with a pressing shortage of road salt, there's a renewed focus on finding different ways to melt road ice.
Dave Lawson is a proud Canadian who has bumper stickers that say "Canada is not for sale." He's fed up with grocery products plastered with maple leaves and patriotic logos that turn out to be American imports.
The Town of Badger has issued an evacuation order for some residents as water levels on the Exploits River continue to rise.
The head of a national seniors' advocacy organization says protecting nursing home residents from sexual abuse is an important but challenging issue.